Description
Mission: To advance fairness, safety and opportunity for Georgia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied communities. GE was founded in 1995. As Georgia’s largest statewide LGBT advocacy group, we work toward our mission through two partner organizations: Georgia Equality, Incorporated and the Equality Foundation of Georgia. Georgia Equality, Incorporated undertakes political action to build a fair majority in Georgia. We are currently implementing the Campaign for a Fair Majority – our strategic plan for LGBT equality in Georgia. Year-round lobbying and strategic involvement in state and local elections are working to build a bi-partisan fair majority in the state legislature and among local elected officials across the state. Equality Foundation of Georgia supports the Campaign for a Fair Majority through education, training, and analysis. Through the Equality Foundation of Georgia, we conduct voter registration and education activities, provide information and resources for effective communication with decision makers, and work to organize and mobilize LGBT residents and allies to advance fairness in urban, suburban, and rural communities across the state. When GE was established in 1995, the average Georgian had less exposure to LGBT people and was less educated about the issues that impact our lives than today. There were no openly gay elected officials in the state and the only legal protections we had against discrimination were in Atlanta. Today, we have openly gay and lesbian elected officials in Atlanta, Decatur, East Point, Pine Lake, and in the General Assembly. We have even elected a transgender person to the Riverdale City Council. Seven cities and three counties have joined Atlanta in prohibiting discrimination, and several of these jurisdictions also offer domestic partner registries for citizens and benefits to city employees. In the last decade, LGBT Georgians have come out in droves to their neighbors and colleagues. A majority of state lawmakers have friends and family members who are gay, and many of those, including those in the Republican leadership, openly admit that fact. Georgia Equality has had a significant role in the progress made in the last 14 years. We’ve helped advance fairness, safety and opportunity for Georgia’s LGBT community on the following fronts: